Original 1873 Winchester found in mountains yesterday

B

Bishop Creek

New member
I recently posted this picture of an 1851 Colt Navy found near my home a couple of years ago in the Eastern High Sierra of California:

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Now this. My wife works for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and two of her fellow BLM employees out exploring yesterday, January 7, 2015, found
this 1873 Winchester leaning against a Pinon Pine tree in the Inyo Mountains of the High Sierra region southeast of Lone Pine, California.

Who knows how long it has been there or why it was left behind and forgotten.

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Who won the coin flip to take that 1873 home? I sure would not have posted photos cuz then it would have wound up not with one thta found it.
 
That receiver looks kind of long. Are you sure it isn't an 1876?
They look identical, but for receiver length.
The gun looks pretty good, though. Cool find. It would sure look good in my safe next to the custom build on an original receiver.
 
That is a great find! A friend of mine had a neighbor who had some property in the California gold country. About forty years ago the neighbor was out hiking on his property and found an old Winchester leaning up against a tree. The rifle followed him home. As kids, we thought that was really cool.:cool:
 
Sorry Sure Shot McGee. You a young 'un and unless you were born in 1900, you didn't leave it there. You would have gone with a more modern 1894 that fired the magnum of its day, the 30-30.
 
Who won the coin flip to take that 1873 home? I sure would not have posted photos cuz then it would have wound up not with one thta found it.
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No one took it home. It was found by the BLM on Federal land that they administer. It was turned over to the staff archeologist who will examine it, catalog it, and the rifle then will likely end up in a local museum.

To the others, it could well be and 1876 Model. I don't know as I have not seen it in person, only the photos.
 
Who in their right mind would just leave a rifle leaning against a tree and forget about it (or do it purposely)?

It does look like an 1876...
 
You would have gone with a more modern 1894 that fired the magnum of its day, the 30-30.
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Yep I guess your right 4V50 on all accounts. Even have that 1894 magnum in 32-40 racked & walled here. I was thinking if I could get my Dibs in early on this one {pictured} hopefully the OP would send it to me._:D
 
Went digging for civil war relics way out in the woods about ten years ago and dug up a 92 Winchester in 32-20. No houses for miles nor evidence of any. Rifle was made in 1907 and was empty.
 
I'll try and find out if this rifle was loaded or not.

Wish I could dig for relics like I used to back in the '60s and '70s. Most open spaces here in eastern California and Nevada are Federal land and new Federal laws say that if you find a relic (50 years or older) you cannot keep it. So in other words, if you threw a Pepsi bottle out the car window into the desert back in 1965 and now feel guilty about, you could be fined for retrieving it now.
 
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It's a '73. You can tell by the shape of rear of the side plate and the length of the action between the rear of the side plate and the butt stock.

 
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